“You died from dysentery.”
The Oregon Trail would seem like it did not have much to do with the Civil War, but the trail was at its height just thirteen years before the war broke out. Even in 1860, 12,000 migrants passed on the trail. If you go along the Columbia River Gorge you can travel on the trail, or ride beside the river that was used to get through the mountains to Fort Vancouver at the western end. Because I played the Oregon Trail when it first came out, my wife Michele and I decided to retrace a hundred miles of the route and to visit the End of the Oregon Trail Museum in Oregon City, a half an hour south of Portland. The drive to Oregon City followed the Willemite River, which was a transport route back during the Civil War.
Now the first thing is, the site is not at the “End of the Oregon Trail.” There were several end points, depending on where you were going! If you goto The End of the Oregon Trail, the cost of admission is $17 for adults and $15 for kids. The facility is located at 1726 Washington Street is Oregon City.
The museum has had a difficult past. It ran out of money and it had to be closed down for several years. It is in good shape now, but check to see if it is still open before you make plans. Here is the web site.
When we drove up to the museum. we could see that children were overwhelmed by the building. It is designed to look like a gigantic covered wagon.
Of course, as a Buffalo Bills fan, I had to pose with the Buffalo next to the entrance.
As you might expect, there were several forms of horse drawn conveyances for migrants trying to get to Oregon.
The museum had several good exhibits of African Americans and slavery in Oregon. Oregon’s governor backed the slave holders of the South in 1860. Exhibits tell of attempts to introduce slavery, as well as the successful effort to keep African Americans out of the Oregon Territory.
There was also an exhibit on how African Americans challenged the exclusion in the courts and the legislature. However, the situation was so difficult, that many Blacks moved to California or up into British Columbia.
There are several micro-histories about Black individuals and families and how they made out in Oregon. Mostly it wasn’t good.
There was also an exhibit on the “Lash Law.” This law passed in 1844 and gave Blacks just a couple of years to move out-of-state. Those who did not leave would be lashed at least twenty times.
There were also exhibits on Oregon during the Civil War. Below is an account from a settler who was told to take down her American flag by a Confederate sympathizer.
There is some space directed to those volunteers who joined the Union army during the war. They were not heading towards Gettysburg. They were replacing regular soldiers who were transferred to the East both to secure the towns from Native American attacks and to counter British moves from Canada.
There is also gear on display that was used by the volunteers.
The bulk of the museum is focused on the Trail, but there are some interesting exhibits on the Civil War and slavery. However, I would say that if you are not interested in the Oregon Trail, the expense of admission may be more than you want to pay.
Note: All color photos in this post were taken by Patrick Young except as noted.
